Savior
by roarlikethunder
Summary: She had taught him to laugh again. She had saved him from himself. Short drabble/one-shot about Tahno getting his bending back!


**AN: I've seen soooo many works of art and such for Tahno getting his bending back, but only a few fics. I really really wanted to do my own version, so here it is :) **

**Disclaimer: Legend of Korra and its characters belong to Bryke, not me**

A once great pro-bending champion made his way down one of the few streets that had been untouched by the destruction Amon had caused no less than a week ago. Most of the city was busy restoring their home to its greatness by repairing the damage the equalists and their machinery had caused, but this young man couldn't be bothered to lift a finger to help. After all, what had this city done for him? It had turned its back on him ever since the championship match. He used to be adored by thousands; admired by all. In his pro-bending glory days, he couldn't even walk down the streets without being noticed. Fame, riches, admiration…it had all been his once.

That all changed, of course, when he had lost his ability to bend. He was tossed aside by his so-called "friends"; no longer of use to them without his title as the captain of the greatest pro-bending team. He was a joke to them now. He was no longer a Wolfbat, he was just simply Tahno; an ex-waterbending nobody. Republic City ceased to care about him the moment he could no longer entertain it.

Tahno paid no attention to the miscellaneous (and mostly empty) shops he passed that made up the street he slowly trudged down. His strut-which once was nothing short of arrogant-now seemed aimless and defeated. His head hung slightly and his once perfect posture was ruined by his slightly slumped shoulders. On a whim, he wandered into the small watertribe themed diner that he used to lurk around with his posy after matches. Glancing around, he noticed bitterly that the Wolfbat posters that once hung around their usual table had been stripped down and replaced with decorative, meaningless paintings. Snorting, his eyes wandered to a different table across the diner. Before he really realized it, he had walked over to said table and sat down, fully aware that he was now sitting exactly where Korra had been slurping up noodles the first time he saw her in person.

_The uh-vatar._ Tahno snorted, shaking his head. She had as much arrogance and pride as he did…not that she'd ever admit it. The last news Tahno had heard of Korra, her little crew had flown to the South Pole in hopes that Katara's healing could bring back her bending. Tahno knew that wasn't very likely; he himself had been to the best healers here in the city, and none of them could help him.

Soon a waitress wandered over, and he ordered his favorite watertribe noodles. Then he was left alone in the dimly lit corner of his once favorite diner, drowning in his self-pity as he slowly ate his meal. He was about halfway through when his wallowing was interrupted.

"Tahno! I knew I should have looked here first."

He almost choked on his noodles as he slowly turned around. Sure enough, there she was, walking towards him with a slight smirk on her face. He knew that voice better than he should. Cocking an eyebrow, he licked his lips to form a snarky reply (and ask why she was looking for him in the first place), but before he could respond she had grabbed his arm and was pulling him out of his chair. "Uh-vatar! What do you think you're doing!" He snapped as he tried not to lose his balance.

"Just come with me. I promise it'll be worth it." Korra responded, flashing him a smile as she pulled him out onto the street. Tahno stumbled after her, yanking his arm out of her firm grasp. Without missing a beat, she reached down and grasped his hand as she continued to pull him along. Tahno blinked and stared at the hand holding his own before frowning and looking up at Korra, not entirely sure what to think. Although the sun had long set, the bright moonlight that spilled over the city was enough to let Tahno get a good look at her. Korra seemed far too enthusiastic and smug for an avatar that had lost her bending. It didn't seem possible…but had she found a way to restore it? And even if Katara had returned her bending, why had she come looking for Tahno? _To show off, probably,_ he thought bitterly.

Korra continued to drag him down the streets, moving at pace that was much too fast for the stumbling ex-waterbender. The longer they walked, the more excited she seemed to get. Tahno frowned as he watched her, never really sure what to expect from Korra. It wasn't long before he let his eyes wander over her, though, losing himself in his thoughts. He hadn't been this close to her since the day following the championship match at the court house, and there was no denying that the uh-vatar was something else when it came to looks.

"Could you just tell me where we're going?" Tahno huffed after a few more minutes, pulling himself out of his thoughts. Korra just shook her head with a smirk and tightened her grip on his hand.

Korra finally let go of him when they were standing on the soft sand next to the Yue Bay. Tahno raised an eyebrow for an explanation, but Korra just grinned. Standing in front of him, she reached down and bent a small stream of water….and began styling Tahno's hair.

Tahno blinked. "Really Uh-vatar? You brought me all the way out here to fix my hair?" Despite himself, however, he couldn't fight the small smirk that found its way to his lips. She was cute, he'd give her that.

"Hush pretty boy," Korra replied playfully, her eyebrows pulled together in concentration. "This is way harder than I thought. How the heck did you do this every day?" Tahno just chuckled slightly, watching her in amusement, letting his eyes trace the fluid movements of her body as she moved with the water. "There!" She exclaimed after a few more minutes, letting the small stream of water fall back into the bay. Tahno glanced over into the water and was surprised to see that his flat, lifeless hair looked almost exactly as it did when he could style it himself.

"I'm impressed," He admitted, glancing back at Korra, who crossed her arms and smiled proudly. "I see you managed to get your bending back?" He said it was a smile, but she didn't miss the small hint of bitter jealousy in his voice.

"Now, for the real reason I brought you out here." She said, excitement coloring her voice as she grinned, recovering quickly. Tahno quirked an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain. Korra simply smirked, suddenly very smug. "Get down on your knees."

"…._Excuse_ me?" Tahno choked out after a few moments, bewilderment clear on his face. Of all the things the avatar had done that took him off guard within the last half an hour, this took the cake.

Korra threw back her head and laughed. The sound was strangely pleasant to Tahno, despite his shock. "Just trust me on this one. It's not what you think." She winked. Tahno stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and muttered something under his breath. With a scowl, he slowly lowered himself to his knees, his cheeks coloring slightly. Still giggling, Korra put one hand on his shoulder and press her other thumb to his forehead and closed her eyes.

Her eyes suddenly flew open again, glowing so bright that Tahno had to close his own eyes. He gasped slightly as energy poured into him, flowing through his veins from his fingertips to his toes. Before he could even fathom what was happening, the exhilarating sensation was over and Korra pulled back. His eyes flew open and met hers, emotion rising up like the tide inside of him. He didn't have to ask what had just happened; something inside of him just…knew.

He rose to his feet quickly and turned to face the bay; his heart pounding with more excitement than he'd ever felt in his life. He rose his arms like he'd done so many times before…and the water rose with him, bending to his will, almost welcoming him home. Grinning like a child, he moved with the water, raising it higher and higher all around him, basking in the feeling that he was once again in control.

"Korra!" He exclaimed happily, turning around to face her. She was smiling softly at him, standing a few feet away. With a few swift steps Tahno got rid of that small space between them and threw his arms around her in a tight hug. Laughing, he lifted her off the ground and spun her around, overwhelmed by his joy. Korra gasped, but got over her surprise quickly and laughed along with him.

Finally he set her back down, but kept his arms wrapped around her waist. Silently they stared at each other, soaking in each other's presence. Korra was with that firebending street rat, and Tahno knew that all too well. He should pull away, thank her, and get on with his life. But this girl…she had done more than give back his bending. She had made him laugh again. An hour ago his world had been a dark place, but suddenly the sun had risen and his life had exploded with light and color again. And that sun was the beautiful girl mere inches away from him.

She had saved him from himself. In that moment, nothing else (especially the firebender) mattered. Swiftly, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

**It's been a really long time since I've written any fanfiction worth publishing, so here's my first. I'd love reviews telling me how I did, I need all the criticism I can get! Thanks so much for reading3**


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